AUSTIN - Construction has started on 275 new houses at the Mueller development in Central Austin.

There are already more than 1,000 houses and 1,200 apartments already built or under construction, bringing the total number of homes in the development to more than 2,500.

Since beginning in 2004, the 700-acre project has been buzzing with construction. Dozens of stores and restaurants and hundreds of homes have been built, but the project is still only 40 percent complete.

Mueller is expected to be completed in ten years. When all of the construction is complete, there will be about 5,600 homes.

Construction is also starting on Town Center, a 40-acre entertainment district. Town Center is a planned 1.2 million-sf mixed-use lifestyle district that will feature a mix of retail, dining, cultural and entertainment options as well as workplaces, apartments and condominiums.